Where is my corner store?

What can you find in your neighbourhood if you walk from home?

The closest grocery store from my home is almost 1 hour away by foot. There is a park about 10 min away, but no grocery store.

This strikes me when I think "What if we cannot use our cars all of a sudden? Should we starve or what??" For example, what if we have a severe storm that stops gas supply for a few days? Is this totally impossible scenario? I don't think so. Obviously I won't starve, but the life would be very difficult in that situation.

Walking is so helpless here. You don't get anything by walking. You need wheels to survive.

I've always been wondering why community planning is so strict about use permit in residential area.
As far as I saw, in most of California's residential areas, there is no businesses. No corner stores, no Seven Elevens, no Starbucks, no post offices, no markets, no anything.

But if you have those in walking distance, you don't need wheels. I hate to drive just to pick up some milk or a cup of coffee. I would love to walk for small errands, but nothing is accessible. Poor my little feet.

Is it because of traffic and security concern? Does anybody know the answer? I am eager to know why.

Anyway, if you build a small community with mixed use (residential and commercial), then it is going to be a heaven for pedestrians and bikers. Shops don't need to have parking lots on their own, and don't have to worry about CEQA traffic element because it won't generate much traffic. As to security, I don't know. Would it generate a lot of crimes in the neighbourhood? I hope not.

Live small and give our feet more opportunities to demonstrate their capacities. This will definitely reduce our carbon footprint.




photo by sheila steele